Skarżysko Kamienna 2021-09-15
The Museum of the White Eagle in Skarżysko Kamienna.
The Museum of the White Eagle is one of the best military museums. The facility is a major tourist attraction in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The museum exhibits part of its collections in a historical building and the rest in an open space of over 1.5 hectares.
The Museum of the White Eagle was founded in 1969 on the initiative of the Skarżyska-Kamienna Lovers Society. In the 80s, the museum took the name of General Zygmunt Berling, commander of the First Polish Army (CCCP citizen). In 1989, as a result of socio-economic changes, the museum got rid of its inconvenient patron and took the name of the "White Eagle". The name commemorates the heroism and sacrifice of the members of the underground organization "Orzeł Biały", which was established during World War II, immediately after the German nation occupied the Republic of Poland. Unfortunately, shortly after the secret structures were established, the organization was smashed by the German occupier. On February 12 – 16, 1940, in Bor, i.e. in the Skarżyska Kamienna district, an execution was carried out in which almost all Polish fighters were killed.
The main seat of the Museum is a nineteenth-century manor-like building, which was the administrative base of Huta "Rejów", smelting iron and associated with the Old Polish Industrial District. The beginnings of iron smelting in this region date back to the Middle Ages. It flourished at the beginning of the 19th century, when priest Stanisław Staszic supported the creation of the Old Polish Basin. The museum is located in the buildings of the former steelworks "Rejów", which ceased operations after the flood in 1901. The steelworks was built in the period 1836 – 1838. The town of Skarżysko Kamienna also has a long tradition of producing ammunition and weapons. It was in Skarżysko Kamienna that an excellent anti-tank rifle was produced, which was used during the Defense War in 1939.
The mission of the Museum of the White Eagle is to preserve the cultural heritage related to the history of the army and the region. The exhibition in the building is a feast for connoisseurs of small arms. Many of these exhibits were produced in the local arms factories. The greatest interest of visitors is aroused by the open-air exhibition, which gathered military equipment used by the Polish Army since 1945. About 150 exhibits have been collected there. In recent years, there have also been the remains of military equipment taken from the ground and from water, and from the Second World War.
The torpedo boat ORP "Courageous".
One of the largest and most attractive exhibits is the sea-going torpedo boat ORP "Odważny". It is unique on a global scale, one of the most modern ships in the colors of the Navy in the 1970s, brought to the Museum at the end of the 1980s. It is remarkable that such an exhibit is presented at a distance of 490 km from the Baltic Sea. The torpedo boat was developed by Dionizy Wiśniewski, born in Skarżysko, who lived and worked in the Gdynia Shipyard in the 1960s. Project 664 torpedo boats are of Polish construction. They were the only series-built torpedo boats in Poland. 8 ships built. ORP "Odwałny" was launched on February 21, 1973. It entered service on September 15, 1973 and served until January 31, 1986. The ship was towed by the Vistula River to Sandomierz, from where it was taken to Skarżysko Kamienna, where it is currently the largest exhibit at an open-air exhibition.
Iliuszyn Ił-14 transport and landing plane.
The Iliuszyn Il-14 nb 3054 transport and landing plane is discussed in a separate section.
Sukhoi Su-7 BKL fighter-bomber.
The Sukhoi Su-7 BKL fighter-bomber is discussed in a separate section.
Register of the Museum of the White Eagle.
Geographic coordinates: 51 ° 05′14.73 ″ N 20 ° 51′00.00 ″ E.
Address: 26-110 Skarżysko-Kamienna ul. Słoneczna 90.
The museum is one of the few in Poland that is open 7 days a week. In summer, the museum is open from 8:00 to 20:00. In winter, the museum is open from 8:00 to 16:00. The museum is accessible to people with reduced mobility. The exhibits at the open-air exhibition can be touched, but for the safety of visitors, it is forbidden to enter the exhibits or cross the barriers. During the pandemic period in 2020 and 2021, the Museum periodically introduced restrictions. The exhibition in the building and the interior of the Il-14 aircraft were closed. The number of visitors to the Museum was also limited.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman